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One of the greatest things about going to the afternoon get-togethers with my grandma happened to be about food. Of course, the attention I got from the ladies topped my list as well since there was rarely any other kid than me and my brother.

These ladies knew (still do) how to cook! The menu was always similar as I mentioned in other posts : Pogaca, borek,cake, kurabiye (cookie/scones) , and sometimes, depending on how much time the hostess had in hand the day before, wrapped grape leaves which we call sarma. Some ladies actually can make each piece identical in size and thickness…it is just crazy! These lemony pieces take appreciable amount of time to make. When it shows up on the menu, everyone knows that it is extra special because somebody took the time to individually wrap each piece.

One bad thing about these suckers though, people eat them quickly, one after another. So after you spend all the time rolling, wrapping and cooking, people finish it in five minutes! That is the only annoying part of it as a cook. Especially in our house, my uncle and my brother would go through them pretty quickly, so I had to join the race if I wanted a piece. The result: Overfed people with stomach aches! And some upset people who could not eat as much because they were slow! AKA Losers!

You can purchase grape leaves either in a jar or in vacuumed packages. Make sure you pay attention to the expiration date. If it is getting close to that date, the leaves might be very soft after standing in brine for too long and you might have hard time wrapping without tearing them. If you tear two leaves, you can always try to overlap them and use them as one leaf.It helps to soak the leaves in water for five minutes or so to get rid of the excess salt.

The filling is made with rice, pinenuts, currants, lots of onion and herbs. Onion is the key for a soft feeling filling. For herbs, I used dried dill weed, and dried mint but it is much better with a big bunch of fresh dill chopped in it. After I clean the currants by picking the stems, I normally soak them in warm water, dry over paper towel and gently mix them in after the rice is cooked. I have seen it added to the rice at the beginning of cooking in their dry forms as well. So whatever you feel comfortable with it. Another optional thing is the finely diced ripe tomato. Again, I have seen it either way, and this time I decided to add it.And I always keep extra small green or red bell peppers handy in case I have extra rice filling. I hollow them out and stuff with the filling as well.

The ladies at the get-togethers of my grandma were really polite ladies, they would take one or two on their plate and that was it. But if you have hungry men with big appetite at home like we had, I would say put a limit on the number of sarma each person is allowed to eat per minute. And if they eat more than that, just slap their hand. These little things are hugely addictive.

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